An Oklahoma man who was in Southern California for business allegedly arranged a sexual liaison in Torrance with a 14-year-old girl he met online, a detective testified Tuesday.

However, Eugene Mellott, 50, was actually chatting and making plans with Torrance Juvenile Sex Crimes Detective Dennis Brady in the Yahoo chat room, Brady said at Mellott’s preliminary hearing.

Brady said he logged on as a teenage girl on Oct. 3, and waited. Soon, he was contacted by someone who called himself “Billme,” Brady said during questioning by Donna Seyedi, a law clerk for the District Attorney’s Office.

Billme asked the “girl” her age, if she was a male or female and where she was, Brady testified. He replied that he was a 14-year-old girl in Redondo Beach.

“I’m old enough to be your daddy,” responded Billme, who said he was 44.

The conversation turned sexual as they discussed oral sex and whether the girl was a virgin. Billme said he wanted to see her breasts.

They arranged to meet at a shopping center. Prosecutors and police asked that the location and the online name of the detective not be disclosed so ongoing investigations would not be jeopardized.

Mellott was arrested after he called a female officer posing as the teenage girl and followed the directions she had given him.

Torrance Superior Court Judge Laura Ellison said there was sufficient evidence to hold Mellott for trial on one count of communicating with a minor for lewd and lascivious behavior.

He returns to court Jan. 14.

Mellott’s attorney asked that her client, who is out on bail and wearing an electronic monitor, be allowed to leave the state to visit family during the holidays.

While prosecutors objected, Ellison said that was between Mellott and his bail bondsman.

The nature of Mellott’s job is not known. However, it appears he was in the Palmdale area for work at a military base.